Cameras at weddings, garage sales

I’ve seen several wedding receptions with preloaded instant cameras on the tables for the guests to use.  This is one way to be sure you have tons of photos and it entertains guests, too.

I was recently at a garage sale and saw a young boy pick up the camera.  He  looked puzzled.  Where’s the screen?  How does this work?  His mother stated “It’s a camera that uses film.” 

If you could have seen the look on his face, you might describe it as “you’ve got to be kidding”.  A short time later he had the camera open and had seen the film for himself.

Sometimes I forget that I take a lot for granted.  Youngsters 3 to 10 may not have ever experienced anything but a digital camera with it’s instant feedback and delete features, or maybe they’ve used the preloaded cameras which can be ordered with cds.  I for one appreciate the convenience of both digital and preloaded cameras.

Red Roses themed Wedding

The red rose theme began as we entered the church.  The wedding party’s men all had red rose boutonnieres.  At the sign in table was a boquet of red roses. Instead of a guest book there was a picture with a large white  mounting area outlining the picture and frame that each guest signed.  By the photo was more roses in a vase. 

Those in charge of the sign-in table handed us programs. The programs were made of rectangular paper with round corners and a handle to form a fan. Each was lovingly tied with red ribbon to match the red roses. 

The center aisle had tule with red ribbon and little white lights at the bottom.  Each bridesmaid carried red roses. The beautiful bride in a traditional satin dress, carrying a boquet of red roses glided down the aisle to an arch, lighted by tiny white lights.  Behind the arch was a lace-covered table for communion.  Beside the arch was an indoor tree also covered in tiny lights.

The reception hall had icicle lights near the ceiling and lots of tables covered with white tableclothes and lighted candles were around the perimeter of the room. 

On each table was three round candle holder-vases about 3 and a half inches high.  The vase in the middle had a white silk flower floating in water. The outer two handle holders held a lighted tea light in the middle of colored sand. On the table for each guest was a little box to open. It had contained several round mint patties.

“The cake” was a series of different sized round cakes, each on its own stand.  The cake had about a one inch band of ribbon just above decorative frosting at the bottom.  On the top of each cake was a bouquet of red roses. Under the stands was a large cloth napkin with some red stones to carry out the red theme.

Each groomsman wore a red vest, so during the reception when the room was warm and jackets were shed, they still reflected the red roses theme.

Wedding Favors and Decorations

A clever bride or mother of the bride made a wedding program into a wedding favor.  The item was a paper fan, tied with light blue ribbon, with a picture of the bride and groom and the details of the wedding printed on it.  This was very thoughtful for a warm summer day in a church with no air conditioning.

The fan theme was followed with a fan in aisle flower arrangements and the decorations in the reception area.  The decorations for this celebration were very well thought out, with velveteen covering a portion of several pillars, latticework and a lighted flowered arch marking the entrance to the reception area. 

The bride and groom stood in the middle aisle and moved from the front row to the next and greeted each of us individually.  We remained seated listening to the bride’s dad playing the piano until it was our turn to give the couple our congratulations and best wishes.  I think this is a good way to accomodate guests who have difficulty standing, as it eliminates standing in line for more than a few minutes.

The reception area had the feel of a parlor or old fashioned living room decked out for a party, even though the area is big enough for several hundred people.  The party feeling was done with tulle sweeping from the four corners, the style of the decorations on each table, and the food.  The feel of elegance came with lacey curtains at the windows, and with each of two dividers covered with a cloth material and two large photos in fancy frames.  One was a photo as a child and the other was one as an adult couple doing an activity they enjoy doing together.

The entry through the arch was designed to bring us to the long tables of food.  From there we had a few steps to sit on whatever side of the table we were on.

The bride was beautiful in her floor length dress and both bride and goom had plenty of smile to go around.  I’ll remember this wedding not just because of the decorations, the food, the blue punch, or our choice of four kinds of cake, but also for the beautiful music played on the violin and piano.  It was a real treat to hear such a talented pianist – her dad.